IAS officers' body drops colonial-era reference from name, rechristens it as IAS Association

Shedding the colonial tag, the Indian Civil & Administrative Services (Central) Association has been renamed as IAS Association, officials said on Monday.

They said the new nomenclature -- which drops the reference to the colonial-era ICS (Indian Civil Services) -- for the association of IAS officers highlights Indian ethos.

Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra, also the President of the association, said the new name was unanimously decided at the association’s Annual General Body Meeting on Saturday.

“The name is symbolic, which aptly represents all IAS officers across the country. The change in nomenclature is a historic and significant decision as it will help in shedding the perceived baggage of colonial-era Indian Civil Service (ICS). The new name -- IAS Association -- also highlights the Indian ethos,” Mishra told PTI.

He said another important decision taken at the association’s AGM on Saturday was regarding its motto ‘Yogah Karmasu Kaushalam’ (Perfection in action is Yogah).

“This motto has been used by the association for long but with no clarity as to who had chosen this and when. In this meeting, we formally adopted this motto as a gift from our predecessors,” said Mishra, a 1984-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre.

There are 5,205 IAS officers working across the country. The IAS association is an organisation of both the serving and retired members of the service.

Senior IAS officer and association’s Vice-President Sanjeev Chopra said the dropping of the inference to ICS from the nomenclature was long overdue.

“I would go as far as to say that the IAS is a cut above the ICS. It attracts the best and the brightest women and men. With the new name, the association appropriately represents the members of Indian Administrative Service,” said Chopra, the Director of Mussoorie-based Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), the country’s premier training institute for civil servants.

Giving details on the association’s motto, he said it has been taken from the second chapter of Bhagavad Gita.

“The association’s motto will continue to inspire members of the IAS to continue to work for the common people as a true Karmayogis. The bias of IAS is always towards its action,” said Chopra, a 1985-batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre.

Senior bureaucrat Amit Kumar Ghosh said the IAS officers’ association will strive for all round cooperation and coordination for its work.

“The Indian Civil and Administrative Service (IC&AS) association, which is the central IAS association, will hold regular interactions with state IAS associations and strive for all round cooperation and coordination,” said Ghosh, a 1994-batch IAS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, also the General Secretary of the officers' body.

M Nagaraju, a member of the association’s executive committee and Joint Secretary in the Coal Ministry, said the decision to change the name of the association is very important.

“The purpose of the association is to improve the camaraderie between the central IAS association and various state associations (as the IAS officers work across the country in different cadres) to bring synergies and to evolve a common understanding on national policy matters and service issues to enable the members of IAS to serve the country better,” said Nagaraju, a 1993-batch IAS officer of Tripura cadre.